Judith Graham

Judith Graham was a contributing columnist for KFF Health News until January 2025.

U.S. Medical Panel Thinks Twice About Pushing Cognitive Screening For Dementia

KFF Health News Original

Because seniors are at higher risk of cognitive impairment, proponents say screening asymptomatic older adults is an important strategy to identify people who may be developing dementia and to improve their care. But the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force cited insufficient evidence the tests are helpful.

Stalked By The Fear That Dementia Is Stalking You

KFF Health News Original

For those worried they have an elevated risk of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, testing is an option. But words to the wise: It’s hardly foolproof and could even backfire by heightening your fear of memory loss.

What To Do If Your Home Health Care Agency Ditches You

KFF Health News Original

If you’re told Medicare’s home health benefits have changed, don’t believe it: Coverage rules haven’t been altered and people are still entitled to the same types of services. All that has changed is how Medicare pays agencies.

Why Home Health Care Is Suddenly Harder To Come By For Medicare Patients

KFF Health News Original

Medicare has changed how it pays for services. In response, agencies across the country are firing therapists, limiting physical, occupational and speech therapy, and terminating services for some longtime, severely ill patients.

What The 2020s Have In Store For Aging Boomers

KFF Health News Original

On the bright side, advances in medical science and a push for healthier lifestyles might extend the quality of life for aging boomers. Among clouds on the horizon: ageism, strained long-term care services and the need to work well past retirement age.

Cómo cuidar a los padres mayores cuando no quieren ayuda

KFF Health News Original

Desafortunadamente, ni la paciencia, ni la compasión, ni la tolerancia dan resultado en algunas circunstancias conflictivas, pero hay formas de generar buena comunicación.

Parenting Your Aging Parents When They Don’t Want Help

KFF Health News Original

Relationships between adult children and their parents can fray with age. Experts offer help on how loved ones can preserve the love and negotiate those tension-filled final years.

The Health Care Promises We Cannot Keep

KFF Health News Original

Family caregivers pledge to fulfill their loved ones’ end-of-life wishes. But too often circumstances change, and they must break their word and guard against breaking hearts ― including their own.

As His Wife’s Caregiver, A Doctor Discovers What’s Missing At Health Care’s Core

KFF Health News Original

Harvard psychiatrist Arthur Kleinman shed his “veil of ignorance” during 11 years serving as the primary family caregiver for his wife, who had a rare form of early Alzheimer’s disease. In a new book, “The Soul of Care,” he offers suggestions for transforming health care ― just as caregiving transformed him.

Cuerpos de Paz para cuidar y ofrecer compañía a adultos mayores

KFF Health News Original

Este otoño, líderes del proyecto invitarán a organizaciones de todo el país a presentar propuestas para atender las necesidades “no médicas” de los adultos mayores.

In Search Of Age-Friendly Health Care, Finding Room For Improvement

KFF Health News Original

Simple alterations — like better signs, seating, parking or door design — can make it easier for older patients to navigate health care facilities. Here are several changes doctors’ offices, clinics and hospitals could make.

Feds Pave The Way To Expand Home Dialysis — But Patients Hit Roadblocks

KFF Health News Original

What changes are needed to bring home dialysis to more patients — especially older adults, the fastest-growing group of patients with serious, irreversible kidney disease? We asked nephrologists, patient advocates and dialysis company officials for their thoughts.

What The Trump Home Dialysis Plan Would Really Look Like

KFF Health News Original

It takes more than an executive order to shift kidney disease patients from dialysis centers to home care. These patients show it takes discipline, skill, will and support.

La charla que tienen que tener los adultos mayores con sus médicos antes de una cirugía

KFF Health News Original

Muchas veces los médicos no hablan con sus pacientes y familiares sobre los riesgos potenciales y las complicaciones que se pueden presentar durante o después de una intervención.